Lithuanian government plans small reactor discussions for early 2028

Lithuania’s government plans to begin public discussions on building small nuclear reactors in early 2028, LRT reported, citing the draft implementation plan for the government’s programme.

The draft calls for an interim assessment of the possibilities for deploying the technology in Lithuania to be prepared by the first quarter of 2028. The assessment would then be submitted for comments and proposals from the public, social partners and economic partners.

The Energy Ministry is responsible for the work.

Energy Minister Lukas Savickas previously told BNS that Lithuania was interested in integrating small nuclear reactors into its energy system. He said whether this would be possible would become clear as the technology moved towards commercial application.

Linas Baužys, head of the inactive and decommissioning Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, told BNS that if Lithuania decided to build small nuclear reactors, it would have to join a long queue of interested countries.

He said nuclear energy could benefit Lithuania in the future, but decisions on its development would not be made hastily.